A chip off the old block June 13, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in History, Motels, People, Restaurants.add a comment
We’d heard a rumor of a new restaurant along Route 66 in Clinton, Okla., that used recipes from Pop Hicks restaurant, which burned down in a fire in 1999 and was never rebuilt.
That rumor turned out to be false. However, the restaurant in question, Gayla’s at the Market, turned out to have long Route 66 history of its own. And it was less than a block west of the historic Glancy Motel and the vacant lot where the Pop Hicks restaurant once stood.
Gayla’s co-owner Ed Janning, who was the cook one Sunday when we were there, affirmed he did not use Pop Hicks recipes. He does, however, use old family recipes, including this chicken-fried steak meal:
Gayla’s on the Market stands where the old Dorsey’s Fruit Market and Grocery started on Route 66 in the 1930s. The business had sat empty and deteriorating for 20 years when the Jannings bought it. Now open for nearly two years, Gayla’s serves as a breakfast-and-lunch restaurant, catering business, and gift shop.
You can see remnants of the old Dorsey’s Market, including the original house inside and the old sign outside.
Ed Janning also regaled us with stories about the Pop Hicks restaurant’s owner (including the time he was challenged to a duel — and won) and how the Dorsey’s Market was renovated.
Hours of Gayla’s on the Market are from 7:30 a..m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. The phone number is 580-445-7008.
A word on Hampton Inns June 13, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels.add a comment
We’ve always urged using local mom-and-pop motels during your Route 66 travels on this site’s Lodging listings.
However, from the earliest days of Route 66 News, we’ve also recommended Hampton Inn if you want a chain motel instead. That’s partly because of Hampton Inn’s Landmarks program, of which several Route 66 properties have benefited. In addition, Hampton Inn sponsored the Route 66 Caravan in 2002, which provided much publicity for the Mother Road.
During business travels in my pre-Route 66 days, Hampton Inns impressed me for offering good amenities (including continental breakfast) at a moderate price. So this recommendation was (and is) honest.
A few weeks ago, a publicist offered two free nights at a Hampton Inn of my choice as a thank-you for the listing on my site. In exchange, I was to provide an “honest” review of those hotels. Because the International Route 66 Festival was coming up in Amarillo, I elected to stay one night each at both Hampton Inns in that city. At least, I figured it would be informative for future Route 66 travelers.
With those disclosures out of the way, here’s what I found:
Hampton Inn, 1700 I-40 East, Amarillo: As expected, we received a clean room, continental breakfast and the customary free Wi-Fi. My spouse commented that she liked the strong water pressure from the shower head, so that she could more efficiently shampoo her hair.
However, the two-story Hampton Inn East in Amarillo contains no elevators. So elderly guests should keep in mind they will have to take the stairs if they’re booked onto the second floor.
Also, it seemed the room’s air conditioner was struggling to keep up. Fortunately, the high temperature that day was a mild 84 degrees. In the wee hours, the A/C unit began pulsating loudly. It obviously was an older unit that had been repaired, and needed more fixing. The next morning, we advised the front desk about the problem, and they promptly filled out a work order.
Hampton Inn, 6901 I-40 West, Amarillo: This three-story Hampton Inn was obviously the newer of the two in Amarillo. It boasted elevators, plus a newer A/C unit with a wall thermostat. So the room where we stayed was clean and comfortable.
One thing we liked was the table-level placement of the room’s electrical outlets, so you could more easily plug in your laptop or portable devices. Also, this Hampton Inn required no access code to tap into its free Wi-Fi (although it did also require an online waiver before surfing).
This hotel was undergoing a major renovation of its breakfast area. Food instead was being served in an adjacent ballroom — a bit cramped, but we did find a sofa where we could sit and eat.
Both hotels were good. But the Hampton Inn on the west side of Amarillo fared better.
An Oklahoma tornado casualty June 12, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Gas stations, Weather.3 comments
Not long after the awful Joplin tornado, another strong twister struck Oklahoma around the El Reno area. After reading numerous media accounts of the twister, I had assumed that Route 66 landmarks had emerged relatively unscathed.
I was wrong.
During a eastbound trip Sunday on old Route 66, we’d discovered that an old gas station at U.S. 270 and old Route 66 near Calumet had been flattened by the twister.
This is what the station looked like in 2009:
Here’s what it looks like today:
It appeared the old gas station took a direct hit. The station had stood tall for decades despite neglect, but it was no match for the twister, which later was estimated to be an F-5 tornado.
Many trees were stripped of their branches along an approximate one-mile stretch of Route 66, and many utility poles had obviously been replaced.
Another strange sight was found less than a mile east of the ruined station — a massive field of twisted metal from wrecked buildings or equipment. The metal obviously was being piled there to be reused for scrap.
Little seems to be known about the old gas station. Jim Ross in his valuable book “Oklahoma Route 66″ mentions it, but not the brand of gasoline it sold. That stretch of the old highway was U.S. 66 from 1926 to 1962. And that northbound section of U.S. 270 was U.S. 66 from 1926 to 1933.
(Photos by Emily Priddy)
Cruising the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge June 12, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Bridges, Motorcycles.add a comment
The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge near St. Louis once carried traffic on Route 66 over the Mississippi River.
Nowadays, it carries only bicycles and pedestrians, except in rare cases when caravans are allowed. Here’s one of those rare cases on video, so you can experience it:
Work, work, work, work June 12, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Religion.1 comment so far
I suspect the folks in this latest edition of “Route 66: A Road Trip through the Bible” — ahem — labored over the script.
The Road Crew wins big award at Route 66 banquet June 11, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Books, Events, Motels, Music, People, Preservation.5 comments
The Road Crew music group won the inaugural Bobby Troup Artistic Award during the 2011 International Route 66 Festival awards banquet Saturday night at the Galleries at Sunset Center in Amarillo, Texas.
From left, Don King, Woody Bomar, Joe Loesch, and Jason Harmon show off their plaques for winning the Bobby Troup Award.
David Wickline, an author and Route 66-themed restaurant owner, won the Route 66 Roadie Award.
And Alan McNeil and his mother, Marianne, were honored for their tireless work to restore the Triangle Motel of Amarillo.
The Road Crew country-rock band released a Route 66-themed album, “Songs from the Mother Road,” and performed at several Route 66 festivals in the past few years. They even recorded a song specially for the Amarillo Route 66 festival.
Here’s the Road Crew’s official video for “That Ol’ 66″:
Bob “Crocodile” Lile, who served as an awards presenter with David Rushing, said the Bobby Troup Award was given to recognize achievement in the arts, including music and writing. The festival committee received permission from Troup’s heirs to use his name in the award.
Wickline wrote and shot the photographs for his two acclaimed “Images of 66″ books and owns the Roadhouse 66 Bar & Grill in Worthington, Ohio. Wickline was unable to attend Saturday’s banquet.
Kaisa Barthuli of the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program recognized the McNeils for their efforts in restoring the long-neglected Triangle Motel. Shortly after they acquired the motel, about 70 tons of trash was removed from the rooms. They received a federal cost-share grant to help stabilize the motel’s structure, and a new roof was installed a few weeks ago.
Alan and Marianne McNeil were recognized by the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program for their efforts.
Lile also gave Alan McNeil a plaque that listed all of the people who made donations to help retire his mortgage to the Triangle Motel. Paying off the mortgage early will help McNeil sink more of his money into restoration efforts.
Awards were given to Dale and Kristi-Anne Butel, Richard and Robyn Hattrill, and John Mascali — all of Australia — and Akio Takeuchi of Japan for traveling the longest distance to attend the festival.
Lanelle Berry and Dean Walker also won awards for the Best-Dressed Cowgirl and Best-Dressed Cowboy at the western-themed banquet.
“Route 66: The Mother Road” author Michael Wallis gave the annual “State of the Road” address. He provided a lot of stories about people on Route 66 in the Lone Star State, and urged attendees to make and capture new memories. A video of Wallis’ entire speech will be made available in a future post on Route 66 News.
The Red River Steakhouse, a popular restaurant along Route 66 in McLean, Texas, catered the barbecue-themed meal for the banquet.
The barbershop harmonies of the Amarillo-based Golden Spread Chorus — of which Lile is a member — provided musical entertainment before and after the awards. Here’s a song the group performed:
Admiral Twin Drive-In breaks ground for new screens June 11, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Movies, Theaters.add a comment
The historic Admiral Twin Drive-In theater in Tulsa broke ground Saturday morning to build a new pair of screens, reported the Tulsa World.
The iconic double-screen structure, which was seen in the 1983 film version of “The Outsiders,” was destroyed by a fire last September.
Here’s a clip from “The Outsiders”:
About 100 people attended the ceremony Saturday. Owner Blake Smith said he hoped to reopen the drive-in theater in mid-August.
About $33,000 in donations were given to the Admiral Twin’s rebuilding, before Smith secured a loan a few months ago to rebuild the double screen and renovate other facilities.
The drive-in initially opened in 1951, and the second screen was built a year later. Even as the number of drive-ins in the United States dropped over the decades, the Admiral Twin continued to show first-run movies. The Admiral Twin sits very close to the Admiral Place alignment of Route 66 in Tulsa.
UPDATE: Here’s a report about the ceremony from KOTV. What’s cool is that many people who attended brought their own shovels for the groundbreaking.